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Frederik Gauthier got his first taste of action in a Maple Leaf jersey on Wednesday during a scrimmage with other prospects.

“It was high intensity,” said Gauthier. “I didn’t start as good as I wanted. As the game was going on, I felt better and better.”

Gauthier, the Leafs’ first-round pick in June, was on a line that could very well be a line in, say, 2016: He centred Tyler Biggs, the Leafs’ first pick in 2011, and Ryan Rupert, picked 157th overall in 2012.

It was a big, tough line but one that lacked speed. So no surprise, really, that Gauthier had a session with skating coach Barb Underhill earlier in the day. The two will get to know each other very well over the next couple of summers.

“She’s really good,” said Gauthier. “We worked on things that will help my skating. Longer stride, getting faster. I’ll see her again . . . I look forward to it.”

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On the day of the draft, GMs and scouts talk up their picks. At 21st overall, Gauthier was praised as a two-way centre with offensive up-side. While the Leafs didn’t talk about his skating that day, they didn’t seem too surprised — or too concerned — with what they saw of him on Wednesday.

“As he gets stronger his skating will improve naturally,” said Jim Hughes, the Leafs’ director of player development who is running the prospects camp. “His explosion, his quickness, his power, his separation speed will all improve as he gets stronger.

“Even though he’s big he’s still a boy, so give him two years and then he’ll have that power, he’ll have that explosion just from the physical conditioning that he’s going to do with (training coach) Anthony Belza.”

He’ll also have the benefit of a couple of years of work with Underhill, who has improved the skating of numerous NHLers, from the highly skilled John Tavares to enforcers like Colton Orr.

“If you’re a good skater, Barb can make you a better skater,” said Hughes. “She can dissect the weaknesses. She does it through video, they break the stride down, she wants to see good posture. The crest of the jersey needs to be upright, the head needs to be upright.

“She works at the mechanics of the skating. Between the mechanics and then with the conditioning part of it, that’s when we see the improvement kick in and take place.”

The standouts in the scrimmage were the guys who are supposed to stand out:

David Broll, a 2011 draft pick, hit hard and controlled the puck, showing elements of his game that will make him a popular Toronto Marlie.

Josh Leivo, another pick from 2011, was the most creative forward, setting up the scrimmage’s only goal, by Fabrice Herzog, a 2013 pick.

Morgan Rielly, the fifth overall pick from 2012 who could make the Leafs this season, moved the puck well but also showed defensive savvy.

It’s not that Gauthier was out of place. Far from it, especially as an 18-year-old who is one of the youngest here. As the game went on, he became more comfortable. He won more faceoffs — setting up Biggs off the draw at one point.

And what can’t be lost is that this camp isn’t about winning a spot on the Leafs come October, but for players at different ages, skill levels and from different leagues to get to know each other and get a feel for where they fit in and what work they have to do to get better.

“It’s a good experience for him, and he’s young,” said Hughes. “He’ll come back here in two years and he will be like a man-child. You can see the size of him and the girth. He plays the whole rink, he plays 200 feet. These are just baby steps for him.”

Gauthier said he has learned a little bit already.

“At the beginning, I was so-so,” he said. “At the end, I was better, moving the puck, back-checking, getting the puck out of the zone, playing in front of the net.

“Just do simple plays. Sometimes I make it too complicated. Just play my game.”

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